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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-18-2024, 01:01 PM

Junzo Yamanoue – Starting Pitcher – Kitakyushu Kodiaks – 97.3% First Ballot

Junzo Yamanoue was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Sendai, Japan. Yamanoue had very good stuff and movement, although his control was often subpar. He had an electric 98-100 mph fastball that ranked among the absolute best of the era. Yamanoue also had a solid splitter, forkball, and curveball along with a rarely seen changeup.

Yamanoue had some of the best stamina in EAB, leading the Japan League thrice in complete games. He was a good defender, but his windup style meant he really struggled with holding runners. Yamanoue had good durability early in his career, but recurring back troubles chipped away at his effectiveness in his 30s.

After an impressive stint at Osaka Shogyo University, Yamanoue was highly touted ahead of the 1987 EAB Draft. Kitakyushu grabbed him with the #4 overall pick, although his control issues limited him initially. Yamanoue only pitched 18 innings in 1988 and was fully in the bullpen in 1989.

Yamanoue earned the full-time rotation spot in 1990 and took third in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading in complete games (21) and shutouts (6). He was inconsistent in 1991 and was only used as a part-time starter. Yamanoue made it back full-time in 1992 and held the ace role for the rest of his time with the Kodiaks.

1992 was a banner season, winning Pitcher of the Year with league and career bests in ERA (1.52), FIP- (49), and WAR (9.7). To that point, his ERA total was the 18^th lowest in EAB history by a starter. This effort also helped start a dynasty run for Kitakyushu. The Kodiaks had won division titles in 1990 and 1991, but suffered Japan League Championship Series defeats.

Although only 85-77, Kitakyushu went on a tear in the playoffs and won their first EAB Championship. The next two seasons, the Kodiaks won 102 and 103 games en route to a three-peat. This was only the second-ever EAB finals three-peat in history, joining Pyongyang’s four-peat from 1969-68. There wouldn’t be another EAB three-peat until 2034-36.

Yamanoue won Pitcher of the Year again in 1993, leading in strikeouts (313), wins (20-8), quality starts (26), complete games (18), and WAR (9.1). He led in wins and WAR again in 1994, but took second in POTY voting and grabbed third in 1995. In March 1996, Kitakyushu gave Yamanoue a seven-year, $27,000,000 contract extension.

The Kodiaks won 101 and 98 games in 1995 and 1996, but just lost out on the division title both years to Hiroshima. Kitakyushu made it back to the JLCS in 1997 at 109-53, suffering an upset loss to Sapporo. That year, Yamanoue won his third Pitcher of the Year with his second ERA title (1.82). He also had a league and career best 320 strikeouts, 27 quality starts, and 276.1 innings.

For his playoff career, Yamanoue had a strong 2.41 ERA over 145.2 innings, 10-5 record, 156 strikeouts, 31 walks, 135 ERA+, and 3.7 WAR. He also pitched for Japan in the World Baseball Championship from 1991-2000. He had 109.1 WBC innings, a 5-4 record, 3.13 ERA, 136 strikeouts, 40 walks, 115 ERA+, and 3.5 WAR.

1997 was the last gasp for Kitakyushu, who shortly fell towards the bottom of the league. They wouldn’t make the playoffs in the 2000s. It was also the end of Yamanoue’s time as elite, although he was still respectable when healthy. A herniated disc cost him the second half of 1999 with another knocking him out two months in 2000.

Lingering back woes limited his effectiveness and a rebuilding Kitakyushu was ready to move on. After the 2002 season, the 36-year old Yamanoue was traded for two prospects. For his role in the great dynasty run, the Kodiaks would shortly retire Yamanoue’s #24 uniform. In one season with Nagoya, Yamanoue had a mediocre 4.35 ERA over 151 innings with 79 ERA+ and 1.2 WAR. He retired after the 2003 campaign at age 37.

Yamanoue finished with a 215-139 record, 2.66 ERA, 3290.2 innings, 3485 strikeouts, 766 walks, 273/385 quality starts, 179 complete games, 125 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 75.3 WAR. He’s 63^rd in WAR among pitchers as of 2037 and his stats rank towards the middle or bottom compared to others in the Hall of Fame.

Yamanoue didn’t quite have longevity or sustained success to really rank among the absolute top tier. Regardless, he won three Pitcher of the Year awards and was a critical part of Kitakyushu’s great dynasty. That made Yamanoue a no-brainer for the 2009 EAB Hall of Fame class, earning 97.3%.

Jun-Hui Lim – Designated Hitter – Bucheon Bolts – 67.7% First Ballot

Jun-Hui Lim was a 6’5’’, 195 pound right-handed hitter from Yongin, South Korea. Lim was an impressive power hitter in his prime while still hitting for contact pretty well. He was above average to good at drawing walks , although his strikeout rate was average. Lim’s power was focused on homers with 34 per his 162 game average, although he still averaged 24 doubles and 7 triples. Lim had okay speed, but was a mediocre baserunner.

Lim had excellent durability and never missed significant time to injury. He was greatly limited by being a career designated hitter, making only about ¼ of his career starts in the field. Lim played third base defensively and had a good arm, but terrible glove work and range. That quickly hurt his usefulness once his batting ability declined significantly in his 30s.

A big guy with a big bat certainly stands out in high school. Despite his youth, Lim was picked 4^th overall by Bucheon in the 1985 EAB Draft. He generally spent his first three years on the developmental roster, making a few pinch hit appearances in 1987 and 1988. Lim was a part-time starter in 1989, then earned a full-time role from 1989-95 for the Bolts.

In his first full season, Lim led the Korea League in home runs (43) and RBI (129). He bested both numbers in 1991 with career highs with 54 dingers and 147 RBI. Lim also led in total bases and slugging, taking his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. He was again second in MVP voting and won a Slugger in 1992, that year leading the KL with 211 hits.

Lim won additional Silver Sluggers in 1993 and 1995, taking third in 1995 MVP voting. He had five straight seasons with 6+ WAR for Bucheon and hit 51 homers in 1995 with a career best 7.9 WAR. The Bolts gave Lim a five-year, $11,560,000 extension after the 1994 season.

Bucheon had playoff berths in 1990, 1991, and 1993. They advanced to the Korea League Championship Series for the first times in 1990 and 1993, but fell both times. Lim was 1993 KLCS MVP in defeat and in 25 playoff starts had 34 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, 23 RBI, a .351/.379/.670 slash, 172 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR.

Lim also played for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship from 1990-97. He had 53 games and 33 starts, posting 33 hits, 18 runs, 6 doubles, 8 home runs, 23 RBI, a .221/.272/.436 slash, 98 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR.

Bucheon regressed hard after the 1993 season and had four straight losing seasons. Disappointed by the team’s struggles, Lim opted out of his contract after the 1995 season, becoming a free agent heading towards his age 29 campaign. The Bolts still appreciated him and retired his #60 uniform later on. With Bucheon, Lim had 1234 hits, 669 runs, 175 doubles, 278 home runs, 816 RBI, a .307/.358/.583 slash, 156 wRC+, and 41.9 WAR.

Lim’s power impressed Seoul, signing him for eight years and $26,680,000. The Seahawks sat in the mid-tier for his run, which started with a 7.0 WAR, .982 OPS effort in 1996. Lim suddenly regressed hard, posting an .879 OPS and 3.6 WAR in 1997, then a .774 OPS and 1.5 WAR in 1998. He was still a starter in 1999, but posted -0.9 WAR and a .650 OPS with an 85 wRC+.

The deal was an albatross for Lim, who continued to get paid big-time money for little results. He was relegated to an occasion pinch hit appearance from 2000-03, only making 24 starts and playing 149 games. Experts were baffled as to how and why Lim went from an elite Silver Slugger to a barely bench-level bat.

Once his big deal ran out after the 2003 season, Lim retired at age 36. With Seoul, he had 701 hits, 318 runs, 103 doubles, 116 home runs, 425 RBI, a .279/.339/.486 slash, 124 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. The signing went down as one of the big free agent busts of the era and also scared many general managers off paying big money for a designated hitter.

Lim finished with 1935 hits, 987 runs, 278 doubles, 394 home runs, 1241 RBI, 556 walks, a .296/.350/.546 slash, 144 wRC+, and 53.8 WAR. Even with the bad Seoul years, the rate stats still looked pretty good. But Lim’s accumulations were firmly borderline and being a DH didn’t help his cause. At that point, only two position players had made the Hall of Fame with a lower WAR. As of 2037, he ranks fifth lowest.

The strong run with Bucheon seemed to resonate with enough voters. Lim got 67.7% to just cross the 66% line as a first ballot inductee in 2009. Some scholars point at Lim as one of EAB’s weakest inclusions, but he is there regardless. Lim was the first player to get put in wearing the Bucheon purple and gold.

07-18-2024, 01:01 PM	#1438
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,823	2009 EAB Hall of Fame (Part 2) Junzo Yamanoue – Starting Pitcher – Kitakyushu Kodiaks – 97.3% First Ballot Junzo Yamanoue was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed pitcher from Sendai, Japan. Yamanoue had very good stuff and movement, although his control was often subpar. He had an electric 98-100 mph fastball that ranked among the absolute best of the era. Yamanoue also had a solid splitter, forkball, and curveball along with a rarely seen changeup. Yamanoue had some of the best stamina in EAB, leading the Japan League thrice in complete games. He was a good defender, but his windup style meant he really struggled with holding runners. Yamanoue had good durability early in his career, but recurring back troubles chipped away at his effectiveness in his 30s. After an impressive stint at Osaka Shogyo University, Yamanoue was highly touted ahead of the 1987 EAB Draft. Kitakyushu grabbed him with the #4 overall pick, although his control issues limited him initially. Yamanoue only pitched 18 innings in 1988 and was fully in the bullpen in 1989. Yamanoue earned the full-time rotation spot in 1990 and took third in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading in complete games (21) and shutouts (6). He was inconsistent in 1991 and was only used as a part-time starter. Yamanoue made it back full-time in 1992 and held the ace role for the rest of his time with the Kodiaks. 1992 was a banner season, winning Pitcher of the Year with league and career bests in ERA (1.52), FIP- (49), and WAR (9.7). To that point, his ERA total was the 18^th lowest in EAB history by a starter. This effort also helped start a dynasty run for Kitakyushu. The Kodiaks had won division titles in 1990 and 1991, but suffered Japan League Championship Series defeats. Although only 85-77, Kitakyushu went on a tear in the playoffs and won their first EAB Championship. The next two seasons, the Kodiaks won 102 and 103 games en route to a three-peat. This was only the second-ever EAB finals three-peat in history, joining Pyongyang’s four-peat from 1969-68. There wouldn’t be another EAB three-peat until 2034-36. Yamanoue won Pitcher of the Year again in 1993, leading in strikeouts (313), wins (20-8), quality starts (26), complete games (18), and WAR (9.1). He led in wins and WAR again in 1994, but took second in POTY voting and grabbed third in 1995. In March 1996, Kitakyushu gave Yamanoue a seven-year, $27,000,000 contract extension. The Kodiaks won 101 and 98 games in 1995 and 1996, but just lost out on the division title both years to Hiroshima. Kitakyushu made it back to the JLCS in 1997 at 109-53, suffering an upset loss to Sapporo. That year, Yamanoue won his third Pitcher of the Year with his second ERA title (1.82). He also had a league and career best 320 strikeouts, 27 quality starts, and 276.1 innings. For his playoff career, Yamanoue had a strong 2.41 ERA over 145.2 innings, 10-5 record, 156 strikeouts, 31 walks, 135 ERA+, and 3.7 WAR. He also pitched for Japan in the World Baseball Championship from 1991-2000. He had 109.1 WBC innings, a 5-4 record, 3.13 ERA, 136 strikeouts, 40 walks, 115 ERA+, and 3.5 WAR. 1997 was the last gasp for Kitakyushu, who shortly fell towards the bottom of the league. They wouldn’t make the playoffs in the 2000s. It was also the end of Yamanoue’s time as elite, although he was still respectable when healthy. A herniated disc cost him the second half of 1999 with another knocking him out two months in 2000. Lingering back woes limited his effectiveness and a rebuilding Kitakyushu was ready to move on. After the 2002 season, the 36-year old Yamanoue was traded for two prospects. For his role in the great dynasty run, the Kodiaks would shortly retire Yamanoue’s #24 uniform. In one season with Nagoya, Yamanoue had a mediocre 4.35 ERA over 151 innings with 79 ERA+ and 1.2 WAR. He retired after the 2003 campaign at age 37. Yamanoue finished with a 215-139 record, 2.66 ERA, 3290.2 innings, 3485 strikeouts, 766 walks, 273/385 quality starts, 179 complete games, 125 ERA+, 80 FIP-, and 75.3 WAR. He’s 63^rd in WAR among pitchers as of 2037 and his stats rank towards the middle or bottom compared to others in the Hall of Fame. Yamanoue didn’t quite have longevity or sustained success to really rank among the absolute top tier. Regardless, he won three Pitcher of the Year awards and was a critical part of Kitakyushu’s great dynasty. That made Yamanoue a no-brainer for the 2009 EAB Hall of Fame class, earning 97.3%. Jun-Hui Lim – Designated Hitter – Bucheon Bolts – 67.7% First Ballot Jun-Hui Lim was a 6’5’’, 195 pound right-handed hitter from Yongin, South Korea. Lim was an impressive power hitter in his prime while still hitting for contact pretty well. He was above average to good at drawing walks , although his strikeout rate was average. Lim’s power was focused on homers with 34 per his 162 game average, although he still averaged 24 doubles and 7 triples. Lim had okay speed, but was a mediocre baserunner. Lim had excellent durability and never missed significant time to injury. He was greatly limited by being a career designated hitter, making only about ¼ of his career starts in the field. Lim played third base defensively and had a good arm, but terrible glove work and range. That quickly hurt his usefulness once his batting ability declined significantly in his 30s. A big guy with a big bat certainly stands out in high school. Despite his youth, Lim was picked 4^th overall by Bucheon in the 1985 EAB Draft. He generally spent his first three years on the developmental roster, making a few pinch hit appearances in 1987 and 1988. Lim was a part-time starter in 1989, then earned a full-time role from 1989-95 for the Bolts. In his first full season, Lim led the Korea League in home runs (43) and RBI (129). He bested both numbers in 1991 with career highs with 54 dingers and 147 RBI. Lim also led in total bases and slugging, taking his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. He was again second in MVP voting and won a Slugger in 1992, that year leading the KL with 211 hits. Lim won additional Silver Sluggers in 1993 and 1995, taking third in 1995 MVP voting. He had five straight seasons with 6+ WAR for Bucheon and hit 51 homers in 1995 with a career best 7.9 WAR. The Bolts gave Lim a five-year, $11,560,000 extension after the 1994 season. Bucheon had playoff berths in 1990, 1991, and 1993. They advanced to the Korea League Championship Series for the first times in 1990 and 1993, but fell both times. Lim was 1993 KLCS MVP in defeat and in 25 playoff starts had 34 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, 23 RBI, a .351/.379/.670 slash, 172 wRC+, and 1.4 WAR. Lim also played for South Korea in the World Baseball Championship from 1990-97. He had 53 games and 33 starts, posting 33 hits, 18 runs, 6 doubles, 8 home runs, 23 RBI, a .221/.272/.436 slash, 98 wRC+, and 0.7 WAR. Bucheon regressed hard after the 1993 season and had four straight losing seasons. Disappointed by the team’s struggles, Lim opted out of his contract after the 1995 season, becoming a free agent heading towards his age 29 campaign. The Bolts still appreciated him and retired his #60 uniform later on. With Bucheon, Lim had 1234 hits, 669 runs, 175 doubles, 278 home runs, 816 RBI, a .307/.358/.583 slash, 156 wRC+, and 41.9 WAR. Lim’s power impressed Seoul, signing him for eight years and $26,680,000. The Seahawks sat in the mid-tier for his run, which started with a 7.0 WAR, .982 OPS effort in 1996. Lim suddenly regressed hard, posting an .879 OPS and 3.6 WAR in 1997, then a .774 OPS and 1.5 WAR in 1998. He was still a starter in 1999, but posted -0.9 WAR and a .650 OPS with an 85 wRC+. The deal was an albatross for Lim, who continued to get paid big-time money for little results. He was relegated to an occasion pinch hit appearance from 2000-03, only making 24 starts and playing 149 games. Experts were baffled as to how and why Lim went from an elite Silver Slugger to a barely bench-level bat. Once his big deal ran out after the 2003 season, Lim retired at age 36. With Seoul, he had 701 hits, 318 runs, 103 doubles, 116 home runs, 425 RBI, a .279/.339/.486 slash, 124 wRC+, and 11.9 WAR. The signing went down as one of the big free agent busts of the era and also scared many general managers off paying big money for a designated hitter. Lim finished with 1935 hits, 987 runs, 278 doubles, 394 home runs, 1241 RBI, 556 walks, a .296/.350/.546 slash, 144 wRC+, and 53.8 WAR. Even with the bad Seoul years, the rate stats still looked pretty good. But Lim’s accumulations were firmly borderline and being a DH didn’t help his cause. At that point, only two position players had made the Hall of Fame with a lower WAR. As of 2037, he ranks fifth lowest. The strong run with Bucheon seemed to resonate with enough voters. Lim got 67.7% to just cross the 66% line as a first ballot inductee in 2009. Some scholars point at Lim as one of EAB’s weakest inclusions, but he is there regardless. Lim was the first player to get put in wearing the Bucheon purple and gold. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)